69 live animals found stuffed in pillowcases in hidden car compartment after border arrest: Feds

A woman identified by federal prosecutors as a Tijuana resident was arrested at the U.S.-Mexico border before U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers discovered 69 live animals — including venomous vipers, caimans and a baby crocodile — allegedly stuffed inside taped-shut pillowcases in a hidden compartment of her Volkswagen the following day, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California.

Georgina Bribiesca Chavez, 66, of Tijuana, was arrested Aug....